It is well understood that dental floss use is an important part of a total oral hygiene program. Although toothbrush use helps reduce plaque on the occlusal surfaces of the teeth, floss use reduces plaque accumulation in the interstitial surfaces of the teeth. Caries will develop on surfaces where there is an accumulation of plaque. Dental floss is the only effective means to disrupt the accumulation of plaque in the interstitial regions of the teeth, thereby reducing the likelihood for the development of caries on tooth surfaces. Accordingly, flossing teeth helps prevent periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis.
Since the development of the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,566 to Gore, flexible fibers made from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) have been used for a variety of purposes, such as for dental floss to clean between teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,358 to Lorch discloses one such use of an expanded PTFE floss material whereby the floss is folded upon itself to contain active agents. Use of a microcrystalline wax coated expanded PTFE fiber is described in a number of other patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,488 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,251 to Curtis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,932 to Blass discloses use of a non-porous PTFE floss material. Presently there are a number of commercially available expanded PTFE flosses, including those sold under the trademarks GLIDE.RTM. by W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., COLGATE PRECISION.RTM. by Colgate Palmolive Company, and EASY-SLIDE by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products, Inc.
Expanded PTFE flosses have a number of advantages over conventional nylon flosses, including, but not limited to, resistance to shredding (and its accompanying sticking of fiber shreds between teeth) and high lubricity.
Unfortunately, persons having fixed orthodontic appliances (e.g. braces) or implanted metal abutments (e.g. bridges) have not been able to benefit from the laudable attributes of expanded PTFE flosses without the aid of cumbersome apparatus. More particularly, standard flossing techniques are not appropriate for persons having orthodontic appliances or implanted metal abutments because these devices prevent the floss from freely entering into the interstitial regions in a conventional manner. In the past, devices such as a floss threader or needle have been employed to enable flossing in these instances.
One such threading device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,658 to Tarrson et. al. This threading device comprises a length of flexible material formed into a loop, the ends of which are bonded together over a substantial portion to provide a stiffened elongated guide portion. Dental floss is threaded through the loop. Thereafter, the threading device, with the guide portion leading, is passed through a desired interstitial region of an area to be flossed. A shortcoming of such a floss threading device is that it is relatively cumbersome to use, especially for persons lacking good dexterity, such as the elderly or handicapped. More particularly, the user of such a flossing apparatus must thread the device prior to the flossing operation. This act of threading the device is similar to that of threading a sewing needle with thread. Such an activity is difficult for persons lacking excellent eyesight or dexterity. Another shortcoming of such a floss threading device is the potential for the device to be swallowed during use if the device becomes separated from the leader floss by unthreading of the two units. In this regard, children may lack the motor skills to remove from their mouth the separated floss threader.
Another flossing apparatus designed to facilitate the flossing of tooth structures and osseous implanted abutments is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,063 to Smole. This device comprises a leader with an affixed cord. Vinyl cement is used to bond the leader to the cord. This bond may fail during use of the apparatus.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,499 to Wells and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,117 to Lazzara et. al, a dental floss is provided having predetermined stiff portions for use as a pick or leader, and predetermined flexible portions to be used as a dental floss. The stiffening of the dental floss is accomplished by coating the dental floss with a molten thermoplastic or heavy wax. Although this method may have operated with varying degrees of success for floss materials consisting of thermoplastics, such as nylon or polyethylene, or of natural fibers, such as cotton, this method fails in use with dental floss materials comprised of PTFE or expanded PTFE. More particularly, through the use of conventional methods, molten thermoplastic beads on the surface of PTFE, which thereby prevents the formation of a rigid continuous network of the thermoplastic. The beading of the thermoplastic is due to the PTFE's inherent low surface energy and high hydrophobicity.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present dental floss materials. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an improved dental floss apparatus directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.